I write a blog that questions where we are headed. I just periodically read in private emails, Facebook sites and elsewhere about starting a war to stop tyrants in Washington and the Alphabet soup. But think about it. If we can only muster 30 percent of the voting age population to the polls, how are we going to muster 30 percent to "fight?" We have much more power through the polls to stand firm and throw the bastards out if we drag every one of our neighbors to the polling booths. It is our duty to educate our neighbors and their neighbors. I know it's hard. I know it seems impossible. But just as Christians bring nonbelievers to God one soul at a time, that is what we can do and Must do. This will not steal you away for months at a time from your spouse, children and comfort of your home, and potentially send you home in a pine box, but it will test your very soul, test your very mettle of perseverance. If each and every one of us can't keep up a nonstop determination to educate and get others to vote for people of honor until we achieve the country we once had, how do we expect to stick around for the physical fight to the very end? This war wouldn't be a war that we did a tour of duty for six months and then came home, it wouldn't be one where we did two tours of duty. This would be one giant tour without end until we win or are dead. So think about it. Which gun do you choose; a firearm or the gun of persuasion? We have been apathetic about our government for a long long time. It will take just as long to bring it back and rid ourselves of the District of Criminals. Do you have it in you?
Do we have it in us to fight for what we had?
I can't help but wonder what it is that the early Americans had that we lack? What was it that made them band together and put their lives on the line to keep the freedom that had brought them to the colonies in the first place? Most were laborers, farmers, hardy people willing to struggle to start anew. Daring, able to survive by their own wits, willing to start over in a new world from scratch, they faced the unknown; Indians, starvation, and then the British trying to reclaim them as British subjects. The civilization populating the U.S. now is anything but willing to start from scratch and face the unknown. Millions rely on the government for their very existence. What would happen to them if there suddenly were no welfare, food stamps, housing supplement, Medicaid and free cellphones? Our misery is a product of our own society. The goal of a chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage, as stated in a1928 Presidential campaign slogan for Herbert Hoover, was a reflection of what he envisioned for every working family. There would be employment for every able-bodied man. You ask, "But when did welfare spring to life? The "Poor Laws" were established in England long before the colonies were formed, and they were imported to the United States. But welfare as we know it didn't get cracking until the Great Depression when one in four able-bodied men were unemployed and the government stepped in to provide for the people. What once was a hardy life with hunting for food as the norm, produce grown in the garden, crops on the land, and meals prepared from scratch, has turned into instant breakfast, fast food takeout, well-supplied grocery stores, water from the tap and flush toilets, sleep number beds, ski boats, second homes and sports cars. What kind of survival does a dependent society such as ours expect if there is a catastrophe on the magnitude of an EMP, a pandemic of world proportions, or ISIS blowing up every bridge in and out of major cities? Camping used to be rustic, sleeping on the ground, cooking over an open fire, fishing the creeks, and braving the weather. But now camping for so many is a rolling bathroom, i.e., a motorhome with pop-out sides, master bedrooms, bathrooms with full showers, deluxe kitchens with ovens, refrigerators and freezers, satellite TVs, and campgrounds with swimming pools. In fact, true "campers" have been renamed "survivalists," "preppers" or "doomsday preppers." These folks are all about farro rods, waterproof matches, camouflage, and camping anywhere but a campground. However, in truth, they are nothing more than going back to the backwoodsman lifestyle that existed in early America, sans the camou. But, and it's a big BUT, they all have an apartment or house to go home to after the adventure. They practice their survival skills, read about old remedies, utilize old techniques, and then return to the softness of their homes. And that's the rub, ladies and gentlemen. How do you convince a society to stand for the Constitution, stand for the Declaration of Independence, stand for what our forefathers stood for as if we have nothing to lose but our lives, when in fact THEY HAD nothing to lose but their lives and we have everything financially to lose? Are we too lost in our jobs that support our ski boats, second homes, fancy cars with GPS and backing cameras, to be willing to lay it all on the line for our freedoms and our children's future? As Lavoy Finicum's daughters sang in their song after their father died, we might need to give this deep consideration. What is it we want? Do we still want the tree of liberty? With the millions of illegals we have in this country who are far better off here than in the drug lord controlled country they came from, they'll be the first to become Congress's civilian army against the U.S. citizens because only we know what we have now, and they think all that is left here is a dream compared to their past. They come from nothing, have nothing, and lose nothing but their lives in a fight for a better life here in the U.S. Hmmm. Sounds like our forefathers. But they aren't. They are the oppressed from other countries who can't believe what we are crying about. And the sliver of liberty that we are bemoaning is a windfall for them. With that in mind, and with over 300 million people in the U.S., we'd better damn well be able to muster more than 60 people before a few more of us puff up our chests and say we're going to make a stand and fight for the return of our liberties. Lavoy's death was tragic, he stood as did others for the principles upon which we were founded. But it will take a hell of an army under God fearing leaders, joined together in a common mission, not just a few principled people, to right this ship. Jesus gave it all. What are we willing to give? FREEDOM'S CRY Are you, are you going to agree? Our Freedoms are waning and we'll lose our liberty. Slipping one by one until there's nothing left to see. Are you, are you going to stand with me? Are you, are you just going to let it be? The ranchers are first, but brother, next it may be me. We'll all stand together or we'll hang separately. Are you, are you going to the tree? Are you, are you going to be free? It won't get any easier to regain lost liberty. Strange things are happening in this land that once was free. So brother, . . . let me ask you . . . Are you, are you, are you going to stand with me. A Sliver of Liberty? I'm starting to doubt we will have even that much soon.
It was Oregon Governor Kate Brown who contacted the FBI saying the Malheur situation had lingered too long and she wanted swift action. Well, she got it. She's as guilty of murder as the . . . FBI. As I read the article about the latest arrests in the Malheur Wildlife Refuge case, I am starting to see a pattern here. The Federal Government is so incensed by the activity of Fellow Americans attempting to shine light on the illegal activities of the BLM, that they are now in global intimidation mode, arresting anyone and everyone who might be involved with not only the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, but also anyone involved in the Bundy Ranch standoff two years ago. As of right now, not only has the FBI murdered LaVoy Finicum rather than putting out tire spikes to stop the vehicle, (too bad he wasn't a murderer like O.J. Simpson) ,not only have they arrested the four remaining holdouts at the wildlife refuge, but they've arrested another seven of nine people who were also at the wildlife refuge before they ran for their lives when LaVoy was murdered by . . . the FBI. Two are "still on the loose." These folks join 16 others who are also facing the same charges as the rest of the wildlife refuge "gang." This quiet sweep of these other 23 with two more to catch is news to anyone who was focused on the basic case, i.e., LaVoy Finicum and the four remaining holdouts, and the Hammonds rotting in prison for the second time over a controlled burn they started to manage their property, which spread into 140 acres of BLM land accidentally. Never mind that the BLM had already burned out ranchers, killed their cattle, and let some suffer from their burns but survive. . And now they have arrested Cliven Bundy for impeding law enforcement at his ranch with the stand-off a couple years ago. But here is the scariest part. If they are clawing back in time far enough to get Cliven Bundy as well, anyone and everyone who showed up at the Bundy ranch is facing the potential for arrest and Federal prosecution on the same charges as Cliven Bundy, impeding U.S. officers in executing their official duties. Public beatings will continue until the American people bow to an out-of-control government. Everyone who has been arrested has been charged with a felony which will remove their gun rights permanently. What? Remove gun rights from law abiding citizens following their constitutional rights to shed light on injustice? Of course. The government doesn't want us to have guns. We are dangerous. We might just try to take back America if we have them. It is this writer's opinion that there is an effort here to crush the American spirit and strike fear in the souls of all who know their Constitution, know their Bill of Rights, believe God and have the courage to speak up. They are taking out the God-fearing breadbasket of America, one rancher at a time. This insurrection was too big for Big Brother to let go. They either quash this completely, or it will catch fire so virulently that there will be a new America brought forth, one that harkens back to the days of our Forefathers and the principles for which they stood. The bad news is the beatings will continue unless Reverend Franklin Graham and Assemblywoman Michele Fiore can bring forth justice through involving as many legislators and congressmen as possible to grab Big Brother by the throat and get a strangle hold on him while we put better people with level heads in office, those who are not professional politicians, but rather people who believe still in the American dream. While our American food providers are being struck down, arrested, disarmed and removed from their property and livelihood, our government is doing its best to place every citizen without the will to work on Federal aid. They are pouring illegal aliens (I won't even give them the courtesy of calling them undocumented immigrants) into our country by the tens of thousands, no, the hundreds of thousands, aliens who do not assimilate into our culture, aliens who profess openly it is only a matter of time before they take over OUR country. This is a shell game. Wake up, America! What is frightening is our government is so narcissistically bold it believes it can crush any American citizen who doesn't kowtow to their land grab, blinded by their own greed and greased palm. Unless we can fan the flame that LaVoy lit, the U.S. won't wake up in time to realize Uncle Sam is about to be beheaded and China is about to own us. Well, if there is any consolation, watching the religion of peace go head to head with China over ownership of the United States of America will be entertaining, if any of us survive. It isn't that we can't learn how to live like our forefathers, hunting, fishing, keeping warm, curing meats, canning, building our homestead in the exact ways which were the norm for them. It is that the government finds it incompatible with what they believe is the right way to live. And today's blog is about a man who is living and teaching the old ways, and is being forced to bring his homestead up to code or shut it down. Eustace Conway teaches classes in pioneer living; everything from farming with horses to preserving foods. But to the government it's a bit too primitive for their liking. And so he is faced with losing his life's work of 27 years, his homestead school, teaching others how to live without support from the outside, living like Henry Thoreau. You see, his structures don't meet code.
Now, if I were smart, and I'm not saying I am, but if I were, I would think that the way to teach someone how to do something well, is to demonstrate it in a way that is exactly how it was done. But the government doesn't agree with that. Nope. Not Boone County. The history on this man is intriguing. Eustace Conway graduated from Appalachian State University over 25 years ago, and with his desire to go back to what it was like to be a pioneer, he started buying up plots of land and created a very nice spread. He hadn't read Thoreau when he first started his life's dream, and once he did, he discovered he and Henry were kindred spirits. But now the government wants to quash their bond. Recently Eustace received a Cease and Desist Order from the County of Boone in North Carolina. The county had inspected his property in the past with no problem. But this time there was. So a meeting was set with him at the county seat. The tried and true methods of his structures, skilled construction that had served men who went before him long ago, were deemed unsafe and would have to be brought to code before he could reopen his school. It was one thing for him to live like that and take chances, but it was another to bring helpless, uneducated city slickers out to learn his ways and take a chance they might slip on his wood bridge with only one handrail instead of two. See, it crossed a small creek on his property and one rail was how it was done back then. One rail allowed a man to carry a wider load than the width of the bridge, say a wheelbarrow. It could hang out over the one side with no interference. But, of course, the county would say make it wider and put on the other rail. Well, with a Skill Saw and electricity, this might not be a big project, but it would be a useless project. I suppose they'd accept a sign that said, "Danger, Do Not Enter" just so Mr. Conway could show his students how the old bridges were built, and then another foot bridge meeting code could be built along side of it to keep them safe from the dangers of a one-railed bridge. I think what is interesting about this case is its similarities to the Hammond Ranch case, LeVoy Finicum Ranch case or the Cliven Bundy Ranch case. There are many of these cases, but these two men started to plead their situation in a rather public way to bring attention to what is happening in our great country when government gets too big and decides that you need to be helped out of your possessions or your profession. After all, they are the government and they are here to help you. Eustace Conway's case differs only in that he's being attacked at a local level and the FBI isn't involved. And like LeVoy Finicum, he's a very quiet man, just wanting his American Dream to keep going. A TV station has rallied to show his situation to its viewers, just as LeVoy Finicum and Cliven Bundy the Hammonds got the conservative media involved in theirs. And just like these two ranchers, Eustace's situation involves land. But there is another element that I can't help but ponder. Eustace isn't a survivalist, or prepper. He's just living in the old ways. One might wonder if teaching other people his ways worries a government who needs everyone to toe the line instead of being self-sufficient. Ranchers and farmers with extensive land knowledge can flourish on their own with the help of God and without the Government worming its way into their lives. But there is one more thing they can do which your average urbanite can't do. They can rally their troops, fellow farmers and ranchers, the men who know what it takes to keep our country alive. It's in their blood. They know that "All It Takes for Evil to Triumph Is for a Good Man to Do Nothing." Remember LeVoy. See Eustace Conway's story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz-RpauumNo As I write this article today, I look back at my childhood and remember the freedoms I had. Freedoms and rules set by my father and mother were all I needed. I was to be home when the street lights turned on, dinner was always 6:30 sharp and breakfast was on the table at 7 AM. I was to be on time to school, change out of my school clothes when I arrived home, do my homework, and keep my room clean. Well, my room was never clean but I managed to do the other things. Following these rules left me with play time at my best friend's house, an allowance of 50 cents a week, and a place to live in a loving home.
My father was a World War II vet, hailed from the U.S.S. Cache, an oiler in the South Pacific, and after being torpedoed, he and his crippled ship and mates arrived in Hawaii for two weeks of temporary repairs and then were sent back into battle. The Greatest Generation was just that; knowing that in order to have freedom one must fight for that freedom for themselves and their families and country. The Greatest Generation didn't just live in the U.S. They lived in Canada and England and all the countries fighting as a galvanized force to save their own freedom. The Second World War was the last war fought in which there was an official surrender, peace prevailed for a while, and our military came home labeled as heroes. After that war, too many who served their country on foreign soil were labeled murderers and shunned by our "citizens" who felt they knew better, most never having served in a time of war, and who thought all disagreements could be settled with words. Those "citizens" were happy to take the freedoms fought for in the past and ram them down our throats with their Freedom of Speech, protesting for transgender bathrooms, the need to remove guns from everyone except criminals and their right to murder babies in the womb and sometimes out. Even aliens invited here without the support of We the People have protested in support of Sharia Law. Our own citizens have protested that we should remove or drastically limit our rights that our Forefathers so thoughtfully scribed based on their own experiences. Think Freedom of Speech and The Right to Bear Arms. Politicians stepped to the fore, listening to the vocal minority instead of the silent working majority, the people who paid the taxes and didn't have the opportunity to make their opinions known because they were at work. The squeaky wheel getting the oil doesn't necessarily mean it should be paid attention to when the squeak is coming from paid protesters or professional dole recipients, instead of a piece of equipment. It's the families working their heart out to get ahead, giving their children a solid home and a good education who need to be heard, the people who know what "the American Dream" really is. Ashton Kutcher said it best when he stated at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards, “I believe that opportunity looks a lot like hard work," unless, of course, you are applying to get Welfare, food stamps and housing. Then it's a snap. Former President Reagan once said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." I suggest to my readers that we are very close to our sunset years and unless we want to lose our freedoms, we now must be aware of the internal war of our government against us, as they imply by their every action that we are stupid, a danger to ourselves, and can be better cared for by our government through free insurance, free food, and an open border. Beware when your government indicates free things are more important than FREEDOM. Just like a stock market crash, it takes a lot longer to climb out of the crater than it did to fall into it. And if we wait too long and don't stand strong for our God Given and Constitutional rights, there won't be any help left at the top to save us. |